𝘌𝘭 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘧𝘰 - 𝘊𝘦𝘤𝘦 𝘉𝘦𝘭𝘭 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

✨This one was not a pleasure read as I had to read it for a Literature Teaching class and it is the first graphic novel I have ever really read. 
It is a sweet story about a hard of hearing girl trying to find her place in the world with friends and school while learning to live with her hearing aid.

Friday, January 7th:

(exclusive & streaming): The Expanse (amazon, penultimate), El Deafo (apple+, animated mini-series premiere, all 3 parts), Johnny Test (netflix, season 2 available, all 20 eps), Search Party (HMax, season 5 available, all 10 eps, series finale), "The Tender Bar" (amazon, movie premiere), "Seven on 7" (amazon|YouTube|IGN, Vought News Network w/ Cameron Coleman)

(also new): U.S. Figure Skating Championships (NBC, 3hrs), "Killer Stepmom" (LMN original movie, 2hrs), Ugliest House in America (HGTV, night 5/5, 2hrs)

(hour 1): Penn & Teller: Fool Us (theCW, season 8 resumes), RuPaul's Drag Race (VH1, season 14 opener, 90mins), Undercover Boss (CBS, season 11 opener, new time), Shark Tank (ABC)

(hour 2): Magnum P.I. (CBS, season 4 resumes), Nancy Drew (theCW, season 3 resumes), Ancient Aliens (HIST, season 18 opener), RuPaul's Drag Race (VH1, contd) /   / Untucked (VH1, season opener)

(hour 3): Blue Bloods (CBS, season 12 resumes), The Proof is Out There (HIST),   / Chillin Island (HBO)

El Deafo - Cece Bell

          El Deafo, based on the true experiences of Cece Bell growing up being hearing impaired, follows the child-bunny version of Cece as she deals with the everyday struggles of life, such as losing friends, falling in love, being embarrassed, and being bullied, all while continually feeling ostracised by her peers for being hearing-impaired.  She wears the “Phonic Ear” to be able to hear better and imagines herself as the super-powered “El Deafo” to find solace during her loneliness.           Throughout this novel, we see our main character Cece (or CE-CE! as one of her friends yells at her) dealing with the hardships of growing up.  She finds friends who aren’t really friendly, loses friends that she loves, deals with the loss of her hearing, falls in love with a boy, and ultimately deals with the power of loneliness as it relates to her disability.  Cece feels like an outsider in every way, and finds it hard to even joke with the other children. Students who have a hearing disability could read this and feel comfort, and students who don’t have a hearing disability could read this and find comfort as well, along with ways to deal with people who have disabilities.  I smiled (and cried) through every page of this novel, and I think it’s an amazing book for an ever-expanding sub-genre.           El Deafo has a Lexile score of 420L, and at 248 pages of graphic novel, it’s a fairly quick read.  However, as a 26-year old man, I found myself hysterically laughing at some parts, emotionally torn at others, and otherwise overjoyed during my reading of this book.  It has a few large words that younger children might find confusing, and a lot of implied humour that would exceed their level of understanding; that being said, I think 3rd-12th graders could all and find redeeming qualities in this book, and find themselves represented amongst its pages.           Other books I would recommend after El Deafo are:

- Blankets by Craig Thompson

- This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki

- Stitches: A Memoir by David Small

Each of these is a graphic novel that deals with the pains of growing older, being alone, and ultimately finding ways to be happy in this life.           In terms of other media, I think the films Mary & Max and My Life as a Zucchini would be excellent companions to this novel.  Mary & Max deals with a child befriending a man with Asperger’s syndrome, and My Life as a Zucchini deals with a child who found his mother dead and goes to live with other foster children.